All the canning I did through the year is really paying off. We made lots of holiday baskets for our
friends, co-workers and neighbors. Each
is filled with one of my canned goods as a gift of warmth and home. We also included John’s famous chocolate toffee
to bring sweetness in the coming year and spiced nuts or jam cakes to bring a
little spice. Finally, we included a
lottery ticket to bring luck in 2013.
(For our out of state friends and relatives, we also added a mini bottle
of bourbon to add a bit of Kentucky .)
We decided to make the jam cakes this year because not only
are they traditional to Kentucky ,
but they have a great holiday spice flavor and they are a great way to use up
both the applesauce I made earlier in the year and berry jam. There are many recipes, some including
caramel icing, but this one is really rich and yummy and can be made any type
of jam. Traditionally, you would make as
a large cake, but I made mini bundts and loaves to share.
Jam Cakes
1 c. sugar
½ c. shortening
1 egg
1 ½ c. applesauce
1 c. berry jam (I used blueberry, but blackberry is the most
traditional)
2 tsp. soda
2 c. flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. cocoa
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. raisins
1 c. nuts (optional, but I used walnuts harvested from our
property)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream sugar and shortening. Add
egg and mix in. Sift flour, salt, cocoa
and spices together. Add soda to
applesauce and jam. Mix well. Combine the three mixtures in one large pan
and mix well. Add raisins and nuts. Pour into greased pans. Bake up to an hour for a large bundt or as
little as 30 minutes for small bundts.
OK, we buy every item to make toffee, so there is no using
what you have here unless you own a cow that provides you with lots of
milk for butter. But, everyone requests the toffee
each year, so it’s always included in our gift bags. It’s also really easy, so I suggest adding it
to your gift bags as well.
2 sticks butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. slivered almonds (you can leave this out for those with
nut allergies)
1 T. light corn syrup
1 T. water
1 11.5 oz. bag milk chocolate chips (you can use semi sweet
if you prefer)
Add all ingredients except chocolate in a heavy pan on stove
and heat (stirring constantly) for approximately 8 minutes. OK, this is the only difficult part of this
recipe, but after you make it a couple times you’ll get your own feel for
it. The toffee when ready will take on a
color about the shade of brown sugar; you’ll start to smell a change and see a
bit of smoke. Quickly pour this onto a
cookie sheet already on your counter and spread evenly. Pour the chocolate chips on top and let sit
for a minute. Now, spread the chocolate
on top of the toffee and place in the fridge for an hour. Break and eat.
Happy Holidays All!
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